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Mitt Romney already weakening immigration position?

Posted Mon, Apr 4, 2012 at 12:43 pm

Laura Meckler of the Wall Street Journal offers some more evidence that Mitt Romney might be weakening his somewhat favorable immigration position in preparation for the general election (link). That would be a very bad mistake not only as a matter of policy, but of politics.

If Romney is just Obama Lite on immigration, then no matter how he panders the Democratic Party will be able to undercut him on everything related to immigration. If Romney thinks offering a limited amnesty would be a good political idea, how's he going to compete for the same target audience against Obama offering a full amnesty?

If you want to do something about this, contact his campaign representatives: @ggitcho, @EricFehrn, @andreamsaul, @zacmoffatt, and @rick_gorka.

Excerpt follows. Note of course that anything could happen, but given Romney's past and the incompetence of his campaign so far, expect the worst:

Congressional Republicans and Mitt Romney's presidential campaign are working to fashion proposals that could make up ground with Hispanic voters, concerned rhetoric on immigration from many in the party is turning away the increasingly powerful constituency.

...The Romney campaign is looking for new proposals that would show he backs legal immigration, trying to pivot from a primary campaign in which he has taken a tough line on assistance to those here illegally...

...Mr. Romney is open to giving those who serve in the military a path to legal status (via a version of the DREAM Act). But he wouldn't include those who go to college, as Mr. Rubio would, spokeswoman Andrea Saul said...

...One key for Mr. Romney will be to develop new policies aimed at fortifying the legal immigration system, said Jose Fuentes, co-chairman of the Romney Hispanic Steering Committee. One possibility, he said, is to broaden guest-worker programs allowing more people to work in the U.S. and then return home...

The article also references Marco Rubio being hyped as a possible vice president pick. For the responses to that, see this and this.